I have a difficult job. Not like it threatens my life or heaven forbid, it involves manual labor, but aspects of it can certainly be a drag on my psyche, my energy, and my hope for humanity. At the very least, over the last seven years, my job has gotten progressively more challenging; and maybe challenging is a kinder more diplomatic word but suffice it to say, it has become at times, quite vexing. If you look up the word vexing, Merriam-Webster defines it as causing annoyance, frustration, or worry. My job is that, and more at times, as I work in social media.

Which is why I asked the golden child, Chat GPT, the following question:
How do people navigate social media in an era of misinformation and disinformation?

I wasn’t so much asking on my behalf as I was wondering how others, lay people if you will, tackle the day-to-day challenge of separating fact from fiction and beyond in social media.
What I got back as an answer was close to what I might advise organizations, companies, and people to do. However, what I’d like to do is add my two cents to whether it’s possible to actually execute on each bullet of Chat GPT’s response. So, let’s break it down.

Let’s start with Chat GPT’s overarching response to the initial question: “Navigating social media in an era of misinformation and disinformation requires critical thinking, digital literacy, and a cautious approach.”

I agree, but right out of the blocks I must openly ask three questions:

1) How many of us while consuming social media content critically think about what we are reading or viewing? Do you ever ask yourself if what you’re reading smells? Or are you good with whatever it is you just read or viewed?

2) Being digitally literate means what in today’s day and age? That’s such an all-encompassing blanket statement but I get it. We all know how to fire up a computer and “go” to a social platform but at that point, all bets are off on what happens next, and lastly,

3) How can consuming content and being cautious NOT be mutually exclusive? That being said, throwing caution to the wind starts with that first click within any social platform. Does it not?

Let’s continue. Here’s more of what Chat GPT supplied in italics with my running comments baked in.

• Verify Information: Always verify the information you come across, especially if it seems too sensational or questionable. Look for multiple credible sources to corroborate the information. In practice, you would think or hope that everyone would do this, especially today, but I can tell you unequivocally that few actually do. Opinions, facts, lies, hyperbole, and images are very much strange bedfellows and yet they are the malleable pillars that content creators rely on. It’s the fuel they need for their fires to roar.

• Check the Source: Examine the credibility of the source. Reputable news outlets, government agencies, and academic institutions are typically more reliable than unknown or biased sources. This is like the first bullet point but if your go-to source is not credible or if all you do is watch or listen to ONE source for your information and think that’s credible enough for you, then how would you know ever if something was fiction? And oh, by the way, the truth, is never in the middle.

• Fact-Check: Use fact-checking websites and tools to verify the accuracy of claims or news stories. Fact-checkers like Snopes, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact can help separate fact from fiction. Who really does this?

• Watch for Red Flags: Be vigilant for red flags that suggest misinformation, such as misspellings, outrageous claims, or sensational headlines. I think we’re all guilty of this one, but it essentially comes down to two things, 1) If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t-think Nigerian Kings and or 2) Common sense? …it’s not so common.

• Question Your Biases: Be aware of your own biases and how they might influence your perception of information. Try to approach content with an open mind. Not a chance. Most people believe that their beliefs, that their truths are the only beliefs that matter and everyone else has no idea what they are talking about.

• Limit Information Filters: Avoid the filter bubble by following diverse sources and viewpoints. This can help provide a more balanced perspective. What are the odds that someone watches a left-leaning network and a right-leaning network regularly?

• Educate Yourself: Invest time in improving your digital literacy. Learn about media literacy, critical thinking, and how social media algorithms work. This sounds like a great idea on paper but John and Jane Doe in Oklahoma ain’t got time to do that.

• Privacy Settings: Adjust your social media privacy settings to control the information you share and who can see it. I consider this to be something that a more seasoned user might do, but for the average user, or even the power user, muting oneself is not something that most prefer, nor does it prevent the consumption of or proliferation of misinformation.

• Avoid Sharing Unverified Information: Refrain from sharing content you haven’t verified. Sharing unverified information can inadvertently contribute to the spread of misinformation. “I don’t need to do any homework, I’ve been following this source for years, thus, I trust it…” Which leads us to,

• Report Misinformation: Many social media platforms have mechanisms for reporting false information. If you encounter fake news or misinformation, report it to the platform. No one is doing this. Why? How would they know what is fact or what is fiction? If it’s their “trusted source”, then that’s good enough for them.

• Educate Others: Help friends and family become more digitally literate by sharing resources and discussing the importance of critical thinking online. This sounds great in practice but…most people’s eyes glaze over when talking about critical thinking.

• Follow Experts and Fact-Checkers: On social media, follow experts in relevant fields and organizations dedicated to fact-checking and truth verification. Their content can be a valuable resource. A fantastic idea but who determines who an expert is? What is your criteria for deciding that an organization is dedicated to fact-checking? What is the experts’ credentials? I actually think that if you can identify someone who is non-biased you might be onto something. Good luck?

• Discern Satire and Parody: Understand the difference between satire or parody and actual news. Some satirical content may be mistaken for real information. Probably one of the more difficult things to do. Content these days is created so seamlessly and so effortlessly that discerning what is real and what is not can sometimes be virtually impossible. This is where the, “doing your homework” aspect of social comes into play.

• Use Critical Thinking: Apply critical thinking skills to assess the logic, evidence, and credibility of claims and arguments. Great idea but that’s no fun. Right?

• Stay Informed: Stay up to date with current events and developments to have a better context for evaluating information. Context is everything in social media, but understanding the context of something requires the ability to take one’s head out of the sand from time to time and look around. Take the temperature of the room from ALL parts of the room.

Ok, so a couple of things. First, did Chat GPT’s response nail it? Sort of, but to be honest, for the average user who might be searching for the right answer, this comes pretty close. For the power user though, was there anything in Chat GPT’s answer that was new? Not really. So it’s a push. I’ll give it a grade of C+/B-.

I know a lot of these bulleted points require some type of lift, which a majority of people will not do. But if you care about the veracity of the social content that you’re reading or consuming, then it behooves you to at least consider the content and the source simultaneously. In today’s climate of 24-second new cycles, obtaining completely unbiased and purely factual information from any (news) source, be it a social media post or not, is going to be challenging; as all sources are subject to some degree of bias or editorial perspective. Your quest, if you care, is to understand why the content you are reading, viewing or consuming, was put out there in the first place. If you understand the motive, you can understand the game.